NEWSFLASH
MORE FILIPINOS AGAINST ERAP RESIGNATION - PULSE ASIA SURVEY
Manila, Dec. 2, 2000 - Should President Estrada resign or not?
According to a random tracking poll conducted daily by Pulse Asia from Nov. 17 to Nov. 30, more Filipinos still believe that Mr. Estrada should not resign, at least not right away, compared to those who think he should resign.
The survey, commissioned by and exclusive to The STAR, has a margin of error of plus or minus six percentage points.
In its latest poll of Metro Manila residents, conducted last Thursday, 47 percent of respondents said they "disagree" or "very much disagree" that Mr. Estrada step down ahead of his impeachment trial, now less than a week away.
On the other hand, 36 percent of them said the President should leave, while 17 percent remained undecided.
However, according to political analyst and Pulse Asia president Felipe Miranda, not all of those who said that Mr. Estrada should not resign are necessarily supportive of the President.
There were those who were critical of Mr. Estrada but still wanted to give him the "benefit of the doubt," there were those who were simply "afraid of the unknown," and there were those who wanted to "give the impeachment process a chance to work," Miranda explained, citing interviews with the respondents.
And so far, from the way things are going, Miranda said support for the President is slowly waning.
Broken down into economic classes, class E is the most supportive of the President, while class AB is the most critical.
The differences in opinion change dramatically as you go from one end of the socio-economic spectrum to the other.
Fifty-six percent of class E, 47 percent of class D, 45 percent of class and 25 percent of AB said Mr. Estrada should not resign.
On the other hand, 75 percent of class AB, 44 percent of class C, 31 percent of D and 30 percent of E said Mr. Estrada should step down. Twelve percent from class C, 22 percent from D and 15 percent from E remained undecided.
As to why the poor still support the President despite all of the corruption allegations against him, Miranda said, many of them still believe that Mr. Estrada will make good on his promises to improve their lot.
But if they start feeling that the President has not been able to deliver, support for him will erode, Miranda said.
How the trial proceeds and the prosecutors present their case could also influence public opinion on the President. If the prosecutors are able to make the charges on the President stick, Mr. Estrada’s traditional support from the poor will likely diminish, Miranda said.
As for the rich, Miranda said class AB is the most critical because they have "the most to lose" financially. "Their expectations (of Mr. Estrada’s performance) are high," he said.
Aside from that, they also have a "psychological" hostility towards Mr. Estrada, whom they view as an unfit leader because of his educational attainment, Miranda said.
On the other hand, the poor mainly support Mr. Estrada because they see him as one of them despite the fact that he lives in one of the country’s most posh neighborhoods, Miranda added.
© Copyright, 2000 by PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved